Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot Races 2023: Ultimate Betting Guide for tips at Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is Britain’s premier Flat racing event with 35 races across five glorious days in the heart of Berkshire. The sport’s worldwide talent is expected to take to the hallowed turf next week and with the racing usually ultra-competitive, this list looks to help you through each day of the meeting.
Check William Hill’s Royal Ascot Guide 2023
Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 1: Opening Day
Get ready for the most prestigious event in the horse racing calendar, the Royal Ascot Races 2023! The Opening Day sets the stage for an incredible week of thrilling races and high-stakes betting opportunities.
Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes
The opening race of the meeting takes place over the straight one-mile course and is open to four-year-olds or above.
In a race full of class, Modern Games, the current 13/8 favourite, is looking to build on his convincing Lockinge victory last month, though he will have to take on Inspiral, a best-price 15/8 shot, for the first time since their clash on Champions Day over course and distance in October, a race Bayside Boy won with Modern Games three-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of the Cheveley Park-owned filly.
Queen Anne Stakes Odds & Betting at William Hill
Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes
The first sprint contest for the older horses is the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes over the flying five furlongs and is open to three-year-olds or above.
Highfield Princess, the 11/4 clear favourite, progressed into one of the best sprinters in the division last year and following a good run in the Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes, when giving weight away, she is looking to land her fourth Group 1 contest.
Five of the last 18 editions of the King’s Stand have gone the way of an Australian-trained horse and it’s the duo of Coolangatta, the 3/1 second favourite, and Cannonball, an 8/1 shot, who lead the charge from down under this year, with both looking to retain the title of Nature Strip.
Dramatised (6/1), like the two Aussies, is one of eight three-year-olds entered and she is hoping to make it two successful visits to Royal Ascot following her win in the Group 2 Queen Mary last year.
King’s Stand Stakes Odds & Betting at William Hill
Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes
The final Group 1 of the day introduces the round course of Ascot for the first time during the meeting and is restricted to three-year-old colts over a mile.
The race was won last year by the late Coroebus following on from his 2000 Guineas win at Newmarket, and it is Andrew Balding’s Chaldean who is looking to do the same next week; he is the current 2/1 favourite.
Paddington, the now joint-favourite at 2/1, represents the Irish 2000 Guineas form for Aidan O’Brien, Royal Ascot’s second-most successful trainer of all time.
The potential improving contender who has yet to run in a Group race is Cicero’s Gift at 7/2 for Charlie Hills, a colt by Muhaarar that looked very impressive at Goodwood last month.
St James’s Palace Stakes Odds & Betting at William Hill
Betting Tips for Day 1
Stay ahead of the competition with our expert betting tips for Day 1. We analyse the form, track conditions, jockey-trainer partnerships, and other crucial factors to provide you with the best insights and strategies for a successful betting experience.
1. Study the Form Guide
The previous form a horse has coming into any race is vital as it shows how they have performed at certain times of the year or whether they are in good recent form. Horses come into and out of form regularly throughout the season, so it is important to check their form before selecting them for a race.
2. Consider Track Conditions
Each course is different, and that is what makes them unique. One horse may love the flat nature of Kempton but despise the undulating trip of Epsom. Course form, whether that be good or bad, is a key factor in how a horse will act on a specific day and knowing which tracks a horse may like can help you find an edge in any race.
3. Examine Jockey-Trainer Partnerships
As the age-old saying goes, ‘Trainers are creatures of habit’. Yards will have their stable jockeys that they go to for their regular rides but keep an eye out for trainer-jockey partnerships that have done well in the past, for example, Frankie Dettori and Roger Charlton have a 27% strike rate together in UK races.
Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 2: Ladies’ Day
As the Royal Ascot Races 2023 continue, Day 2 brings the glamour and elegance of Ladies’ Day. This is a day not only for fantastic horse racing but also for showcasing stunning fashion and style.
Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
With a roll of honour that includes Love, Brigadier Gerard, and Dubai Millennium, the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes highlights Ladies’ Day at the Royal meeting and has been a contest that notoriously benefits well-fancied horses as 22 of the last 55 favourites have been successful.
Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg could make it 23 from 56 this year as he is the 2/1 market leader following his determined success over Bay Bridge, the horse who was victorious over Baaeed on Champions’ Day, last time out.
Adayar, the 9/4 second-favourite, has been one of the Godolphin flag bearers since his Derby win in 2021 and, having finished fourth in the 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and second in last year’s Champion Stakes, could give trainer Charlie Appleby a first victory in the £1 million contest.
William Haggas is a fellow trainer who has yet to succeed in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes; his hopes of a maiden win rely on last year’s fourth, My Prospero, the 4/1 third-favourite, who will likely be partnered by stable jockey Tom Marquand.
Betting Tips for Day 2
1. Identify Classy Fillies
There are numerous filly-only races during Royal Ascot. Fillies and mares require closer attention when looking at if they are in form based on recent runs, as they tend to go off the boil easier than colts/geldings.
2. Assess Jockey Form
While horses and trainers may be in-form, the same applies to jockeys as well, as a confident jockey in the saddle is more likely to raise their game to a good level during a competitive.
3. Evaluate Historical Trends
Trainers, jockeys, owners, and even horses can all fit into the historical trends of races and although each race is different year-on-year, some contests seem to have stronger trends due to race conditions.
Prince Of Wales’s Stakes Odds & Betting at William Hills
Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 3: Gold Cup Day
Gold Cup Day at Royal Ascot Races 2023 is the pinnacle of the entire event. The world’s finest stayers battle it out in the legendary Gold Cup, providing an unparalleled spectacle for racing enthusiasts and bettors.
Group 1 Gold Cup
The Gold Cup race offers immense prestige and thrilling betting opportunities. The highlight event of Royal Ascot is steeped in racing heritage from Yeats’ four-timer to Estimate for Her Majesty The Queen, and this year could be the crowning of a new staying champion.
Few horses have done the St Leger-Gold Cup double in consecutive seasons, but Eldar Eldarov, the 5/2 favourite, is looking to emulate the great Solario in this year’s renewal, though he hasn’t won since his Group 1 success at Doncaster in September.
Andrew Balding has yet to get his hands on the prestigious trophy, however, this year is his best chance to do so with Coltrane, the 11/4 second-favourite, who comfortably defeated Trueshan on his last start.
Over the last 17 years, trainer Aidan O’Brien has won eight Ascot Gold Cups with Yeats, Fame And Glory, Leading Light, Order Of St George, and most recently, Kyprios. Following a joint infection that ruled last year’s winner out of the Royal meeting in March, the master of Ballydoyle is relying on Emily Dickinson (5/1) to continue his successful run in the race.
Ascot Gold Cup Odds & Betting at William Hill
Betting Tips for Day 3
1. Analyse Stamina and Endurance
Whether a horse will stay at an extended trip on the Flat (one mile four furlongs +) is determined by the pedigree of that horse. The sire’s influence on stamina has a part to play, for example, a horse by Galileo is more likely to stay further than a horse by Caravaggio.
2. Consider Recent Form
Unique to the Gold Cup, there are no other Group-level races on the turf at the distance of two miles and four furlongs in the proceeding months of the season, so most of the competitors will have run at a maximum of two miles coming into the £600,000 contest. Therefore, depending on the above-discussed pedigree, horses are open to a good amount of improvement for the extra four furlongs.
3. Examine Trainer Success
Although each race every year is different, historical trainer success crops up in all the major races, and sometimes it is beneficial to pay attention to these. For example, in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap on the Friday of Royal Ascot, Sir Michael Stoute is the most successful trainer in the race’s history, so keeping an eye on any runners he may have could be profitable.
4. Look for Rising Stars
Up-and-coming stars act as interesting betting prospects across the board due to being unexposed and Courage Mon Ami, priced at 8/1, is the horse that fills the role in this year’s Gold Cup. He is unbeaten in three starts and could make the frame at an each-way price for John & Thady Gosden.
Bet on Royal Ascot 2023 at William Hill
Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 4: Commonwealth Cup Stakes Day
Day 4 of Royal Ascot Races 2023 introduces the prestigious Commonwealth Cup Stakes, showcasing the best three-year-old sprinters in action. This day promises fast-paced excitement and excellent betting prospects.
Group 1 Commonwealth Cup Stakes
Ran over six furlongs for three-year-olds only, the Commonwealth Cup puts unsuccessful stayers of the Guineas trip up against out-and-out sprinters. The Commonwealth Cup offers a thrilling sprinting spectacle and fantastic betting opportunities.
Little Big Bear, the clear favourite at 13/8, returned to form in the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock in late May having finished last in the 2000 Guineas, so with the son of No Nay Never back in good form, he could be a formidable force.
Seven places ahead of him in the Newmarket Classic was Roger Varian’s Sakheer, the 4/1 second-favourite, who is dropping down to six furlongs for the first time since his Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes as a two-year-old in September.
Unbeaten in two starts as a three-year-old, Julie Camacho’s Shaquille, priced at 8/1, is the unknown coming into the contest having landed the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury impressively; it took jockey James Doyle a while to pull him up after the finish, suggesting he had more to offer than what he showed on the track.
Commonwealth Cup Odds & Betting at William Hill
Group 1 Coronation Stakes
The final Group 1 of Day 4 is the Coronation Cup and is open to three-year-old fillies.
The first and second from the 1000 Guineas are set to take each other on for the second time this season as Tahiyra, the 4/5 favourite, will be hoping to build on her Irish 1000 Guineas victory to try and reverse the Newmarket form.
Mawj, the 11/4 second-favourite, is the horse that dug deep to beat Dermot Weld’s filly on the Rowley Mile and unlike her fierce rival, she is coming into Royal Ascot as the fresher horse.
At a bigger price of 7/1, Queen For You, a full-sister to Listed-level winner Love Is You, has already won over a mile at Ascot on the straight course this season and with her impressive pedigree, she could be one to fear at a price.
Coronation Stakes Odds & Betting at William Hill
Betting Tips for Day 4
1. Focus on Speedsters
The straight six furlongs at Ascot is an open, galloping track that sees horses move into races at good speed, therefore, horses who have a natural turn-of-foot to kick for home while already travelling at 80% speed can gain an advantage on horse who may stay further.
2. Assess Previous Group Races
The Commonwealth Cup is one of the highlight Group 1 sprinting contests of the year alongside similar races like the July Cup. Group 1 races are noticeably better than Group 2/3 contests in the sprinting division so experienced horses who have previously performed well in Group 1s may have an edge over horses making their debut at the elite level.
3. Track Distance Preferences
As suggested above, some horses drop down in trip and some step up in trip to the six-furlong test of the Commonwealth Cup, therefore, finding horses with Group-level form over six furlongs, especially at Ascot, which can be testing, could see you find horses at a bigger price.
Bet on Royal Ascot 2023 at William Hill
Royal Ascot 2023 – Day 5: Grand Finale
The Royal Ascot Races 2023 culminate in an unforgettable Grand Finale, featuring top-class races and the most highly anticipated betting opportunities. Prepare for a thrilling end to this remarkable horse racing event.
Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes offers a fitting climax to the Royal Ascot Races 2023 and presents a final chance for big wins.
With some horses looking to double-up from the King’s Stand earlier in the week, Artorius, the 4/1 favourite, is one that only has his eyes on this race and having finished third last year, connections are hoping to go two better with their four-year-old.
Having been confirmed for the race on Tuesday, Wellington represents Hong Kong at 7/1 on his first start away from Sha Tin.
Seemingly performing at her best and looking like one of the better British hopes for the Jubilee Stakes, Sacred, priced at 10/1, was an unlucky fifth in last season’s race and has been targeted at the Royal meeting.
Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
Betting Tips for Day 5
Finish the Royal Ascot Races 2023 on a high note with our expert betting tips and strategies for the Grand Finale.
1. Assess Overall Performance
Plenty of horses have run well in the King’s Stand Stakes on the Tuesday of Royal Ascot before backing up in the Jubilee Stakes, most notably Choisir from Australia in 2003, so if some are trying to do that again this year, don’t be put off by the quick turnaround.
2. Examine Jockey Confidence
In a race like the Jubilee Stakes which can contain up to 28 runners, having a confident jockey in the saddle of your selection can be the difference in a sprint of this nature; one move through a gap mid-race from a confident rider could prevent that horse from being caught in traffic one-furlong from home.
3. Evaluate Market Trends
Due to the nature of the contest, big-priced winners are easier to come by than in other races as shown by Naval Crown last year who won at 33/1 and in the last eight years, only two favourites have obliged.
